This kind of vehicle-mounted camera, such as a back monitor camera, is mounted, for example, at the lower section of the spoiler of a vehicle body, the dent section around a number plate, at the upper section of a back door or on the surface of a flat back door. Since this kind of vehicle-mounted camera is mounted on the outside of the vehicle body, the camera is required to have waterproofness and dust-proofness. Various types of this kind of vehicle-mounted camera have been proposed conventionally.
For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle-mounted camera in which a front cover including a camera module and a rear cover are joined with screws. In the vehicle-mounted camera disclosed in Patent Document 1, the joint portions of the front cover and the rear cover are covered with a packing, thereby being sealed hermetically. In addition, in the vehicle-mounted camera disclosed in Patent Document 1, the camera section thereof is provided at the front end of the camera module.
Furthermore, Patent Document 2 discloses a vehicle-mounted camera in which a rear case and a front case being opposed to each other are firmly fastened with screws or the like to maintain waterproofness. In the vehicle-mounted camera disclosed in Patent Document 2, a first board on which an imaging element is mounted is fixed to the front case so that the center of the imaging element is aligned with the optical axis center and the focusing position of the lens. In other words, after an image obtained from an NTSC (National Television System Committee) signal is analyzed, the imaging element is moved to an optimal position, and the first board is fixed to the front case with adhesive or screws. The first board is connected to a second board by an inter-board connector. A harness connector for connection to a harness for receiving image signals and power supply from the outside is mounted on the second board.
Moreover, Patent Document 3 discloses an electric apparatus for a module apparatus that is used to connect a module apparatus, such as a vehicle-mounted monitor camera device, to an external apparatus. In Patent Document 3, the module apparatus is mounted on the electric apparatus. The module apparatus is composed of an imaging element and a camera lens mounted on a board. The connector of the module apparatus is connected to an internal-connection wire connector provided in the case body. The module apparatus is positioned and mounted inside a module apparatus accommodating section provided in the case body. The case cover is fixed to the case body by ultrasonic welding or the like, and the module apparatus is accommodated in the electric apparatus. The module apparatus accommodating section accommodating the module apparatus is covered with the case cover, whereby the interior formed between the case body and the case cover is hermetically sealed. The case body has an accommodating section partitioning wall to separate the module apparatus accommodating section from a connection opening for external connection. The accommodating section partitioning wall has a through hole. The internal-connection wire is bent at a substantially right angle and connected via the through hole to a relay cable at the connection opening. The through hole is sealed with adhesive resin. The connection opening is sealed with a secondary formed resin section that is formed by secondary molding.
Still further, Patent Document 4 discloses, instead of a vehicle-mounted camera, a zoom lens apparatus that is compact while being low in cost and simple in configuration. The zoom lens apparatus is equipped with a zoom lens system composed of a first lens group having positive power, a second lens group having negative power, and subsequent groups arranged in this order from the object side. The lens elements are held such that the outer peripheral sections thereof are fitted and fixed inside a holding cylinder. The light receiving face of a solid-state imaging element, such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device), generally has a rectangular shape. Hence, Patent Document 4 describes that no problem occurs even if the outer peripheral portions of the lens corresponding to the upper and lower portions of the long sides are cut off so that the length of the first lens group in the Y-direction (the short-side direction of the CCD) becomes short. Each of the lens elements constituting the first lens group has an outer peripheral face having a shape obtained by cutting part of a cylindrical face having a generating line parallel to the optical axis along planes parallel to the optical axis. Each of the lens elements constituting the first lens group is held on its outer peripheral face except for the cut portion of the cylindrical face.
What's more, Patent Document 4 describes that the outer peripheral portions of the lens corresponding to the left and right portions of the short sides of the CCD may be cut so that the length of the first lens group in the X-direction (the long-side direction of the CCD) becomes short. As a result, it is possible to obtain a rectangular lens, the outer peripheral portions of which are cut along four planes so as to conform to the screen format of the CCD.